Fun for everyone except USC

All 15 members of the Stanford women’s basketball team got into the act as the team defeated the University of Southern California 86-59 on Jan. 27 at Maples Pavilion.

Not everyone scored, but nearly everyone made at least one positive contribution such as a rebound or assist. Worth noting is that freshman forward Kailee Johnson played her four minutes without the face mask she has worn since her nose was broken in the New Mexico game Dec. 16. She had one rebound.

As usual, much of the heavy lifting was done by senior forward Chiney Ogwumike, who scored 30 points and had 12 rebounds, three assists and two blocks in a team-high 34 minutes. This was her 10th game with at least 30 points and her 15th with a double-double.

Four join Chiney in double figures

She wasn’t the only player in double figures, though. Major contributions came from junior point guard Amber Orrange and freshman guard Lili Thompson with 12 points each, redshirt senior forward Mikaela Ruef with 11 and freshman guard Karlie Samuelson with 10.

Mikaela added 10 rebounds for her third double-double of the season. In her 31 minutes, she also recorded one assist and two steals. Her point total included her second 3-pointer of the season.

Amber had one steal, six assists and no turnovers in 23 minutes. Playing 24 minutes, Lili had one rebound and three assists.

Undefeated in Pac-12 play so far, the Cardinal dominated the second-place Trojans in rebounds, 42-28, and assists, 22-9. The teams were even in blocks with two each, while the Trojans had four steals to the Cardinal’s three.

For the game, Stanford shot 50.8 percent to USC’s 37.5 percent. Stanford hit 78.9 percent of its free throws (an improvement over some games), while USC hit 68.2 percent. Mikaela, Amber and Karlie were all perfect from the free-throw line.

Team hits seven 3’s
Stanford prevailed from beyond the arc, hitting seven of its 20 attempts for 35 percent. USC hit two of 15 for 13.3 percent.

The 3-point party came courtesy of Lili and Karlie, who had two each. Mikaela, senior forward Sara James and redshirt sophomore guard Alex Green had one each. The crowd of 3,360 was especially pleased by Alex’s trey in her six minutes on the court.

Stanford had only seven turnovers, while USC had nine. Personal fouls were close with 19 for Stanford and 20 for USC. The Trojans amassed four of them in less than two minutes into the second half.

Game goes on national TV

The game was nationally televised by ESPN2 with star commentating power provided by retired basketball greats Bill Walton and Rebecca Lobo. As Bill stood on the sidelines before the game, Lili’s father went to talk with him.

The game was witnessed in person by head coach Tara VanDerveer’s mother, Rita.

USC held the lead only twice and tied only twice. Otherwise, Stanford pulled steadily ahead, leading by as many as 28 points with 8:46 to go in the second half. With slightly more than three minutes left, the players who had put in the most time were on the bench, ceding the action to teammates making their first appearance of the evening.

With an 8-0 Pac 12 record and 19-1 overall, Stanford has two challenging games ahead as it hosts cross-bay rival Cal on Jan. 30 before visiting Berkeley on Feb. 2 for the second round of the Battle of the Bay. Cal’s conference record is 6-2, its overall record 14-5.

Stanford overcomes UCLA in tight game

It wasn’t pretty, but still, a win is a win, and that’s what the Stanford women’s basketball team got with a 72-55 score over UCLA Jan. 24 in Maples Pavilion.

Even though UCLA had only eight healthy players, their coaching staff had prepared them well. Thus UCLA for the most part did a good job of not only trying to keep senior forward Chiney Ogwumike in check but also limiting the Cardinal’s usually strong perimeter attack. At slightly more than halfway into the first half, for example, the Bruins were ahead 15-14 and Chiney had scored only 2 points.

The game was a seesaw battle throughout the first half, which ended 36-35 in Stanford’s favor, and during the first five or so minutes of the second. The score was 47-41 at the 15:39 mark, and the Cardinal gradually widened the lead thereafter. For the game, the lead changed 14 times, and the score was tied twice.

Chiney leads the way; teammates pitch in

Chiney was on the bench for about two minutes in the second half after collecting her fourth foul, but she returned to finish the game with a team-high 21 points and 15 rebounds for her 14th double-double of the season. She also had one assist, two blocks and a steal in her 37 minutes.

It’s not unusual for Chiney to score 30 or more points in a game, but several of her teammates picked up the slack.

Playing 36 minutes, freshman guard Lili Thompson had 15 points for her seventh double-figure game of the season and her third in a row. She also chalked up two rebounds, two assists, two steals and one block.

Another freshman, forward Erica “Bird” McCall, was right behind her with a season-high 12 points to go with eight rebounds, one assist and one block in 17 minutes.

Also scoring in double figures was senior guard Sara James with 11 points. Playing 16 minutes, she had five rebounds and two assists. Nine of Sara’s points came from perfect 3-point shooting, 3-for-3. Lili had the team’s other two treys.

For the game, the team had 45 rebounds to UCLA’s 30. The Cardinal also had the edge in assists, 20-13, while the Bruins had five blocks to Stanford’s four and six steals to Stanford’s three.

Stanford has 16 turnovers

UCLA did better in the turnover department, amassing only six to Stanford’s 16.
The Bruins had 16 fouls, while Stanford had 13. The Bruins were four-for-four on free throws for 100 percent, while Stanford was five-for-seven for 71.4 percent.

The officiating crew ended plays with a whistle 29 times. Some of those whistles, as well as the lack thereof, elicited prolonged booing from the Maples crowd of 4,434.

A woman seated a few rows up from the Stanford bench apparently was so upset with the officiating that she came up with some foul language that could be heard across the court and into the upper level where I sit. At the request of a referee, a Stanford staff member fetched a sheriff’s deputy, who ejected her with 7:20 to go in the second half.

Overall, the crowd was loud, encouraging the team and cheering for baskets and other well-executed plays. A full student contingent of the band, cheerleaders, Dollies and Tree was there to cheer, too.

Head coach Tara VanDerveer sent only nine of the available 14 players into the game. The 15th, freshman forward Kailee Johnson, was in street clothes.

Stanford Taiko entertains at halftime

Halftime entertainment was by Stanford Taiko. Its 10 students treated fans to a display of exciting traditional Japanese drumming and precise choreography.

Also at halftime, the women’s tennis and track & field teams were honored as representatives of the 53 national championships amassed by Stanford’s women’s teams over the years. Their appearance followed the ninth annual Women in Sports Reception at the Arrillaga Alumni Center before the game.

Yet another honoree at halftime was senior Julia Landauer, a championship race car driver who has appeared on TV’s “Survivor” series.

The Cardinal’s next game is at home on Jan. 27, when USC visits. The Trojans, fresh from their 77-70 upset over Cal on Jan. 24, will undoubtedly try to repeat that feat against Stanford.

USC’s 7-1 Pac-12 record is second only to Stanford’s 7-0. For the season, Stanford is 18-1, while USC is 14-6.

Chiney gets lots of help from her friends

Once again senior forward Chiney Ogwumike led the way as the Stanford women’s basketball team defeated visiting Oregon State 89-67 on Jan. 5.

In a performance that helped her earn her fifth Pac-12 Player of the Week honor this season, Chiney scored 31 points and recorded 13 rebounds, a team-high and career-high six assists, two blocks and three steals in 33 minutes.

Because OSU has a 6’6” center, Chiney sometimes moved out from her customary position under the basket and made several mid-range jumpers, some of them just inches from the 3-point line.

A basket that came with just over 11 minutes to go in the first half pushed Chiney’s career point total to fourth on Stanford’s all-time list, bypassing Jayne Appel, ’10, who had 2,125. Chiney now has a total of 2,143.

Lili makes big contributions

However, it wasn’t all the Chiney show. Another stellar performance came from freshman guard Lili Thompson, who poured in a career-high 19 points and matched her career high of five rebounds and five assists. Thanks to her hustle and pesky defense, she also had two steals.

Playing a team-high 37 minutes, she made three of four of her 3-point shots, included a 3 that opened Stanford’s scoring. Her performance led to a post-game TV interview by commentator and Stanford basketball alum Rosalyn Gold-Onwude, ’10.

Also in double figures was junior forward Taylor Greenfield, who came off the bench for 23 minutes to score 13 points, making two of her three 3-point shots. Redshirt senior forward Mikaela Ruef added 10 points and had six rebounds in her 35 minutes.

All told, the team made seven, or 70 percent, of its 10 3-point attempts. Besides Lili and Taylor, those hitting 3’s were senior guard Sara James and junior forward Bonnie Samuelson with one each.

The score was 50-30 at the half, but the scrappy Beavers made adjustments and stayed within striking distance. They scored 37 points to Stanford’s 39 in the second half, but their efforts – even with 10 3-pointers for the game – weren’t enough to overcome the first half deficit.

Stanford dominated in several statistical lines, including assists – 22-6; turnovers, 6-16; and steals, 9-3. OSU had four blocks to Stanford’s two, both by Chiney.

No official attendance figures were released, but I estimate the crowd at about 3,000. The 49er wild card playoff game in frigid Green Bay, Wis., no doubt cut into the attendance. Some fans kept track of that game, which ended in a 49er victory about an hour after the women’s game was over.

The dogs have their day

Fans who opted for live basketball over televised football were treated not only to another Stanford win but also to the annual Dog Lovers Day. This event was highlighted by the annual exhibition by dogs of several breeds and sizes from Ace Dog Sports.

Humorous dog videos were shown during breaks in the action, probably drawing attention from the Dollies, Tree and band. Although it was difficult to choose, my favorite video featured a skateboarding bulldog.

During the post-game Behind the Bench session, associate head coach Amy Tucker brought out freshman guards Briana Roberson and Karlie Samuelson to greet the fans. Because they were hesitant to introduce and talk about themselves, Amy let them skip that part and go right to questions from the audience.

“It’s great,” Karlie said about playing with elder sister Bonnie again. “I’ve forgotten what it was like playing with Bonnie. She’s my mentor.”

Because an injury had kept Briana on the bench during several games, she could hear and learn from what the coaches and players were saying. “When I get out there, I’ve tried to execute what we preach,” she said.

Bri’s parents, brother and an aunt were at the game, as was the Samuelsons’ mother. There’s one more Samuelson sister at home. “We’re hoping that she comes here, but she hasn’t decided,” Karlie said to an inquiring fan.

Tara heaps praise on team

Next to address the fans was head coach Tara VanDerveer. “This is a great weekend for us to come out of the gate,” she said, referring to the lopsided wins over Oregon and Oregon State to open Pac-12 competition. In addition, “we really took care of the ball."

“We got a lot of positives this weekend,” she said, praising players like Lili, who “had a great game today. … Lili is a baller.”

She had more praise for several other players, including Mikaela, Taylor and redshirt sophomore guard Alex Green. As for Chiney, she’s “the best player hands down in the country. … She can do it all.”

Tara also was pleased with the weekend’s scouting done by assistant coaches Kate Paye and Tempie Brown. “We study tendencies of players” in scouting, then try to keep them from doing what they do best.

“We’ve got a really, really good team” and players who support one another, Tara said.
“We’ve got really, really, really competitive practices. We’re having a great season.”

Next up for the team are two consecutive road trips to Utah on Jan. 10 and Colorado on Jan. 12, followed by the Arizona schools Jan. 17 and 20.

Standing O’s for C.O.

Fans awarded senior forward Chiney Ogwumike two standing ovations during the Stanford women’s basketball team’s 96-66 victory over the University of Oregon on Jan. 3.

The first came with 12:20 to go in the home contest. That’s when she snared the 1,267th rebound of her collegiate career to move into first place on Stanford’s and the Pac-12’s all-time rebounding lists.

In so doing, she eclipsed former teammate Kayla Pedersen, ’11. Earlier in the game, she passed another Cardinal great, Jayne Appel, ’10. In a previous game she passed her older sister, Nneka, ’12.

Since the totals for the other three players came in their last games for Stanford, it seems possible that it will be a long, long time before anyone will equal or surpass Chiney’s eventual record.

The second standing ovation from the Maples crowd of 3,495 came with 5:34 to go, when she returned to the bench to cheer her teammates for the rest of the game.

Playing 33 minutes, she finished with a total of 33 points, the fifth time this season that she has scored 30 points or more, plus 14 rebounds to register her ninth double-double of the season. For her career, she has 2,112 points, 13 points behind Jayne’s 2,125 total, which is fourth-best for Stanford.

Hot-handed Bonnie shoots 66.6 percent from beyond the arc

Junior forward Bonnie Samuelson came off the bench for 17 minutes to score 21 points, a career high and the second-most points for her team. Most of her points came from 6 of 9 shooting from behind the arc. She also was fouled while making a layup and made the free throw for her other 3 points. She and Chiney were the only Stanford players in double figures.

Bonnie led the team’s rain of 12 3’s. Also contributing were junior forward Taylor Greenfield and freshman guard Lili Thompson with two each, while redshirt sophomore guard Jasmine Camp and freshman guard Karlie Samuelson had one each. Bonnie made one of her 3’s off an assist from younger sister Karlie.

All 15 players were available for action for only the second time this season. All 15 got into the game, and 12 scored. Bench players accounted for 47 of the team’s points, balancing 49 from the starters – Chiney, Lili, redshirt senior forward Mikaela Ruef, senior guard Sara James and junior point guard Amber Orrange.

Stanford defense holds Ducks to a season low

Oregon had come into the game with the nation’s best scoring average of 105.3 points per game. The Ducks left with their lowest total of the season.

Stanford dominated the Ducks in other statistics with a 28-10 advantage in assists, led by Amber’s eight, and a 49-42 advantage in rebounds. Other stats were closer. Stanford had 15 turnovers to Oregon’s 16, while blocks (four each) and steals (11 each) were even. The Ducks had the edge in fouls – 18 to Stanford’s 21.

Stanford had a slight edge in free throw shooting percentage – 53.3 percent to Oregon’s 52.2 percent. However, Oregon made more free throws -- 12 of 23 compared with Stanford’s 8 of 15.

With its run-and-gun offense, Oregon had kept the game fairly close in the early minutes, but Chiney and company kept pulling ahead, making the score 51-34 at halftime, By then the Cardinal already had nine 3’s.

After this conference-opening victory, the team returns Jan. 5 to host Oregon State. The new academic term starts the next day.

2013 ends on winning note

The Stanford women’s basketball team rounded out its pre-conference season with an 86-54 win at Fresno State on Dec. 28. The victory upped the Cardinal record to 11-1 and allowed the team to rank No. 4 nationally for the second straight week.

It was difficult to estimate how many Stanford fans were part of the reported attendance of 4,833 because the Save Mart Center is so vast and because red is Fresno’s color, too. Nevertheless, it seemed as if Cardinal fans numbered in the low hundreds. A few of them had gathered at a nearby taco place for snacks or dinner before the game.

The game was scheduled for 6 p.m., just two hours after the start of a Fresno men’s game. Therefore, the women were given only 30 minutes to warm up after the end of the men’s game, pushing the game’s start to about 6:15 p.m.

While fans waited for tipoff, a small Carl’s Jr. blimp floated overhead, dispensing coupons.

Taylor joins starting lineup

The starting lineup was different from several previous games because senior guard Sara James was not in uniform (nor was freshman guard Karlie Samuelson). Therefore, junior forward Taylor Greenfield started in Sara’s place. She played 25 minutes and scored 18 points to go with six rebounds.

Starting senior forward Chiney Ogwumike played only 23 minutes yet scored 20 points and had 10 rebounds for her eighth double-double of the season. She upped her career total to 2,079 points, moving her into fifth place on Stanford’s all-time scoring list. Her career rebounding total rose to 1,257, putting her just six behind Jayne Appel, ’10, for second and nine behind the Pac-12 and Stanford record of 1,266 set by Kayla Pedersen, ’11.

Also in the starting lineup were redshirt senior forward Mikaela Ruef (5 points, seven rebounds in 27 minutes), freshman guard Lili Thompson (5 points, two rebounds in 22 minutes) and junior point guard Amber Orrange (15 points, one rebound in 25 minutes). Mikaela led the team in assists with a career high of eight, followed by Amber with six.

The Bulldogs kept the game close for the first 10 minutes or so, but then the Cardinal pulled ahead, ending the first half with a 43-31 margin.

The margin widened in the second half, allowing head coach Tara VanDerveer to rest the starters and give everyone else a chance to play. All but two scored.

Briana scores first collegiate point

With 8:46 to go and the score at 76-48, freshman guard Briana Roberson got off the exercise bike where she was warming up and checked in for the first time since she had played three minutes late in the UConn game. This time she played seven minutes. When she made a free throw, the first point of her collegiate career, she was roundly cheered by her teammates and fans. Briana has been limited by an injury.

One major highlight of the game was the Cardinal’s season-high 12 3-pointers. Taylor and junior forward Bonnie Samuelson had four each, while Amber had three and Mikaela had one.

Although Stanford shot 41.4 percent from beyond the arc and 48.5 percent overall, free throws remained a problem. Stanford had 16 fouls, while Fresno State had 17, yet Stanford made only 10 of 18 free throws, or 55.6 percent. By comparison, Fresno State hit 13 of 16, or 81.3 percent, of its free throws. These numbers could be significant in a close game.

The rebounding margin was narrowly in Stanford’s favor, 45-40. On the other hand, Stanford had wide edges in assists, 26-4; blocks, 7-0; and steals, 7-4. Fresno had 14 turnovers to Stanford’s eight.

With the calendar turning to 2014, Pac-12 competition begins, starting with the Oregon schools at home Jan. 3 and 5.

Holiday cheer prevails as team beats Tennessee

There were plenty of presents under the Tree for the Stanford women’s basketball team and its fans when the Tennessee Lady Vols came to Maples Pavilion on Dec. 21.

First – Stanford, ranked No. 6 at the time, upset No. 3 Tennessee 76-70.

Second – Senior forward Chiney Ogwumike had a dominating game, playing all 40 minutes, scoring 32 points and snaring 20 rebounds to go with one assist, three blocks and one steal. When she scored her 14th point with about 6:38 to go in the first half, she surpassed Jeanne Ruark Hoff, ’83, to rank seventh on Stanford’s all-time scoring list. Two days later, on Dec. 23, Chiney was unanimously named espnW's National Player of the Week.

Third – All 15 players were in uniform for the first time this season. Because the Lady Vols remained within striking distance throughout the game, however, only nine players had any playing time.

Fourth – Wearing “Fear the Tree” sweatshirts, Stanford football players were in the northeast bleachers to cheer their fellow nerds and to show their moves for the Dance Cam. The men paraded onto the court during halftime with their Pac-12 Conference championship trophy and the Axe trophy, which goes to the winner of the annual Big Game against Cal.

Fifth – A reported 6,044 fans were on hand despite competition from shopping and other holiday activities. Only a smattering of them wore Tennessee orange.

The list could go on from there, but suffice it to say that this was indeed a gift-wrapped victory.

Fans get rally towels with slogan

Upon entering Maples, many fans received red rally towels with “WHOSE HOUSE? C-HOUSE” in prominent white letters.

This slogan comes from a football team tradition. As senior free safety Ed Reynolds explained at halftime, the team chants this question and response at every game, starting softly and building to a roar. He then led his teammates and fans in the chant.

C-House also is the name given to a Stanford football video series that began just before the 2013 season. C-House stands for Cardinal-House.

The gridders’ halftime appearance included comments from senior running back Tyler Gaffney, the team’s MVP. He noted that some 30,000 Stanford fans are going to Pasadena on New Year’s Day for the team’s second consecutive Rose Bowl appearance. It’s also the 100th anniversary of the game.

Head coach David Shaw thanked Tyler for deciding to return to Stanford after a year away to play professional baseball.

Starters carry the scoring load

When the game began, head coach Tara VanDerveer used a familiar starting lineup of Chiney, redshirt senior forward Mikaela Ruef, senior guard Sara James, freshman guard Lili Thompson and junior point guard Amber Orrange. They accounted for 65 of the team’s 76 points.

The only bench player to score was junior forward Taylor Greenfield, who played 30 minutes. She had 11 points, 9 of them from three 3-pointers. The third of those 3’s came just 3 seconds before the halftime buzzer to put the Cardinal up 37-29.

Also seeing action were redshirt sophomore guard Alex Green and freshman forwards Erica McCall and Kailee Johnson. Kailee was wearing a face mask after suffering a nose injury in the New Mexico game on Dec. 16.

Stanford’s total of seven 3’s included three from Lili, who had a career high 14 points in her 35 minutes. Amber, who had 9 points in 34 minutes, made the other 3.

Stanford never trails after opening minutes

After Tennessee had scored the game’s first 4 points, the Cardinal went to work, pulled ahead and never trailed.

Even though Tennessee had 18 fouls to Stanford’s 16, the Lady Vols were more successful at the free-throw line, making 18 of 25, or 72 percent. Stanford cashed in on only 13 of 21 free throws for 61.9 percent.

On the other hand, Stanford out-rebounded Tennessee 43-40 and had five blocks to the opponent’s two.

Stanford maintained an edge of around 8 or 9 points for most of the game, but the Lady Vols made the score uncomfortably close, 70-68, with just over a minute left.

That’s when Amber made one of her signature drives to the basket, scored and was fouled. Her successful free throw, followed by two from Mikaela and one from Chiney put the game on ice for the Cardinal.

Now the team has a short break before returning right after Christmas to prepare for its game at Fresno State on Dec. 28. That will be its last non-conference game before Pac-12 competition starts Jan. 3 with a visit from Oregon.

Chiney joins exclusive group of Stanford greats

Barely a minute and a half had elapsed when Chiney Ogwumike scored her fifth point of the New Mexico game on a free throw. Thus the senior forward became only the fifth Stanford women’s basketball player in history to score at least 2,000 points and make at least 1,000 rebounds in her career.

By the time the Dec. 16 home game was over, she had scored a total of 32 points and led the Cardinal to a 75-41 victory. Playing only 23 minutes, she also had seven rebounds and four blocks.

Besides Chiney, the 2,000/1,000 club includes Chiney’s sister Nneka, ’12; Jayne Appel, ’10; Nicole Powell,’04; and Val Whiting, ’93.

During her time in the game, Chiney scored almost at will as her teammates repeatedly passed the ball to her near the basket. The Lobos couldn’t stop her.

No other double figures

No one else managed to score in double figures. The closest were junior forwards Taylor Greenfield and Bonnie Samuelson, who had 8 points each off the bench

Two consecutive 3’s in the second half boosted Taylor’s total. Playing in only her second game this season after recovering from an injury, Taylor looked more confident than she had in some games in the latter part of the 2012-13 season.

Bonnie’s point total included one 3. Also scoring once each from behind the arc were redshirt sophomore guards Alex Green and Jasmine Camp. Alex finished with 6 points, while Jasmine had 3.

Redshirt senior forward Mikaela Ruef had a team-high 10 rebounds plus 2 points.

Blocking, stealing help with defense

One statistic of note is that the team blocked 12 shots. Chiney led the way with four, followed by Mikaela with three and freshman forward Erica McCall with two. Junior guard Amber Orrange, freshman guard Lili Thompson and freshman forward Kailee Johnson had one each.

The team also had six steals, with one each by Mikaela, Lili, Amber, Alex, Kailee and junior forward Erica Payne, also playing in only her second game this season.

For the game, the team shot 50.8 percent with 29.4 percent on 3’s and 75 percent on free throws. Offensive rebounding proved to be somewhat problematic with Stanford snaring 12 and New Mexico 20.

The three of the five starters – Chiney, Mikaela and Amber – combined for 40 points, and the bench contributed 35. Starters Lili and senior guard Sara James had no points.

From the start, the game was never in doubt thanks to Chiney, a stout defense and an injury-depleted opponent. The halftime score was 40-21.

With victory assured about halfway through the second half, head coach Tara VanDerveer had the luxury of leaving Chiney on the bench. Thus the coach gave the team’s best player a chance to rest and avoid injury while other post players got more playing time.

These factors are important because the Cardinal, ranked No. 6 in the latest AP poll, will face a far more formidable opponent, No. 3 Tennessee, at home at 1:30 p.m. Dec. 21.

Tribute to Tara: 902 and counting

After a long road trip followed by 16 days off for finals, the Stanford women’s basketball team returned home to Maples Pavilion and defeated Gonzaga 73-45 on Dec. 14.

In the process, the team handed head coach Tara VanDerveer her 902nd career victory.

Because win No. 900 came against Florida Gulf Coast while the team was in Mexico for a tournament, the major celebration was saved for home court. It started when fans entered Maples and received signs and eyeglasses commemorating 900 wins.

At the request of their head coach, Kelly Graves, the Zags remained in their seats after the game while the video board flashed highlights of Tara’s career. In the meantime, the Stanford players donned red T-shirts emblazoned with “900.”

Tara gets her own jersey

As the Stanford players and staff looked on, Stanford president John Hennessy and athletic director Bernard Muir unveiled a framed white Stanford jersey with Tara’s last name and the number 900.

Taking the microphone, Tara introduced her mother, Rita, who had surprised her with a visit the night before. Tara then thanked the president and athletic director for their support and added, “I just want to keep it going.”

She said that the framed jersey would hang in her office, and she joked that it was the only way she would get a Stanford jersey.

After acknowledging her staff, she said, “It’s a little hard for me to wrap my head around 900.”

“Let’s get some more,” she concluded.

On behalf of her teammates, senior forward Chiney Ogwumike echoed the sentiment. “Here’s to 900 more.”

Win No. 800 was three years ago

Chiney and her two classmates – guards Sara James and Toni Kokenis (recently medically retired) – plus red shirt senior forward Mikaela Ruef were all on the team for Tara’s 800th win, which came on Dec. 22, 2010, when Stanford traveled to the University of San Francisco and won 100-45.

Those on hand who had contributed to the 800 wins included USF head coach Jennifer Azzi and associate head coach Katy Steding (now at Cal). They were in the first class that Tara recruited to Stanford after she arrived on the Farm in 1985. They went on to help Stanford win its first national championship in 1990 and played for Tara on the undefeated U.S. Olympics team that won the gold in 1996.

Contributors included Tara’s two assistant coaches, Stanford graduates Bobbie Kelsey (now head coach at Wisconsin) and Kate Paye.

Then there was the woman who has been associated with Tara the longest time – associate head coach Amy Tucker. She played at Ohio State for two of Tara’s five years as head coach there, was a graduate assistant coach for her for a year and an assistant coach there for another year. When Tara left Ohio State for Stanford in 1985, Amy joined her as an assistant coach.

Chiney didn’t play in that USF game because she had tweaked her ankle in the morning, but she high-fived the bench for each 3-pointer. She made that trip 11 times, thanks to four 3’s by Sara and one each by Toni and Mikaela, among others.

Balanced scoring by starters, bench

Fast-forward 102 victories to the Gonzaga game: Chiney, Sara and Mikaela all started, joined by junior guard Amber Orrange and freshman guard Lili Thompson.

The five of them scored a total of 42 points, while bench players contributed 31.

This time there were eight 3’s, with two each by Sara, redshirt sophomore guard Jasmine Camp and freshman forward Kailee Johnson. Amber and junior forward Bonnie Samuelson had one each.

Chiney led the team in scoring with 19 points. Also in double figures were Kailee with a career high 11 and Amber with 10.

Two juniors see first action

In addition to the victory, fans had two more reasons to celebrate. Junior forwards Taylor Greenfield and Erica Payne returned to action for the first time this season. Taylor played a total of 11 minutes, scored 4 points and made two rebounds. After making her first basket on an inbound pass with 10:47 to go in the second half, she ran up the court with a big smile.

Erica, who had just been cleared to play earlier in the week, entered the game with slightly less than two minutes to go. She and sophomore forward/center Tess Picknell, who played about four minutes, were the only two Cardinal players who didn’t score.

All told, 14 of 15 players were in uniform. Freshman guard Briana Roberson, still rehabbing from an injury, was suited up but didn’t play. Freshman guard Karlie Samuelson was in street clothes. It’s hoped that she’ll return for the Tennessee game at home on Dec. 21, Amy told the Fast Break Club after the game.

A fan at the gathering commented on the fine play of Kailee and fellow freshman forward Erica McCall, who had 5 points and seven rebounds. Amy responded that when the freshmen arrived for summer school, Bonnie, Sara, Taylor and Erica Payne weren’t able to play. Since those four often play the 3 position, Kailee and Erica M. got a lot of time in that spot.

Still, “we’re excited to have them back,” Amy said of the four upperclassmen.

Video salutes Nicole Powell

Yet another woman who contributed to Tara’s 900 wins was Nicole Powell, ’04, who’s in her first year as an assistant coach at Gonzaga after playing professionally for the WNBA and overseas.

“Fans, today we welcome back one of Stanford’s all-time greats,” announcer Betty Ann Boeving said shortly before tipoff. With that, the video board showed highlights of Nicole’s Stanford accomplishments, followed by a prolonged ovation.

An earlier video honored the Stanford football team for winning the Pac-12 conference and the right to play in its second consecutive Rose Bowl game on Jan. 1. “See you in Pasadena,” it concluded.

A subsequent video featured women’s basketball highlights. It ended, “Tradition never graduates.”

Tara enthusiastic about freshmen

Head coach Tara VanDerveer is apparently more than just pleased with the five freshmen on the Stanford women’s basketball team.

“All of our freshmen are spectacular,” Tara told fans after the team’s 66-48 home victory over UC Davis on Nov. 17. “They’re really fabulous young players.”

Nevertheless, they’re still adapting to collegiate basketball, especially as it’s played at Stanford. “We’re not running a lot of plays” because there are so many young players. “They have to learn the system and study scouting reports,” Tara said.

Even as the team evolves, at least two of the newcomers are happy to be at Stanford. Freshman forwards Erica McCall and Kailee Johnson both had a chance to speak to fans at the Behind the Bench session, and both were enthusiastic.

“I love it here so far,” said Kailee, who comes from Portland, Ore. Although it’s too early to decide on a major, she said she’s interested in business and might major in science, technology and society.

“All the freshmen have bonded,” said Erica, who hails from Bakersfield, where her father, Greg, is coach of the CSU Bakersfield women’s basketball team. He was at the game. Her older sister, DeWanna Bonner, is on the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury and is playing in Russia during the offseason.

Both freshmen mentioned how much they value the mentoring of the older players.

Unlike past overseas trips, this year the freshmen could join the team on its summer trip to Italy. “The food was amazing,” and the team got “to play with the best players in the world,” said Erica, who is leaning toward psychology or sociology as a major.


Two freshmen start

Erica was part of the starting lineup for the first time, joining freshman guard Lili Thompson along with senior forward Chiney Ogwumike, redshirt senior forward Mikaela Ruef and junior point guard Amber Orrange.

Playing for 17 minutes, Erica had 5 points and six rebounds. Lili had 2 points and a rebound in 18 minutes. Kailee came off the bench for 13 minutes and had two rebounds.

Also coming off the bench was freshman guard Karlie Samuelson, who played 33 minutes, tying with Chiney for the second-most minutes. During her time on the court, she scored 8 points and had four rebounds.

The other freshman, Briana Roberson, was in street clothes, along with junior forwards Taylor Greenfield and Erica Payne.

“We’re really excited about how our young players are doing,” Tara said after the game, adding that “our older players are getting healthy.”

She had extra praise for Lili, who “is having an outstanding beginning to her career,” and for Karlie, who “played like a senior out there today.”


Chiney records another double-double

As usual, Chiney led all players with 28 points and 15 rebounds. Amber was next in scoring with 10 points and four rebounds in a team-high 38 minutes.

Playing 22 minutes, Mikaela contributed 8 points and eight rebounds. Less than five minutes into the game, though, she hobbled off the court. She went to the locker room and returned to action several minutes later with her ankle taped.

One apparent concern overall is that the team made only 13 of 24 free throws, or 54.2 percent. “I’m really disappointed with our free-throw percentage,” Tara said. She added that the team is working on rebounding missed free throws.

Three-point shooting was deficient, too, only three of 17, or 17.6 percent. Karlie had two and her older sister, junior forward Bonnie Samuelson, had one.

On the other hand, 3-pointers helped to keep UC Davis in the game. The Aggies’ eight 3’s accounted for half of their final score.

“Kudos to Davis,” Tara said, saying that the team does a good job and that it runs the Princeton offense well.


Team to take to the road

It will be nearly a month before the Cardinal return to Maples. At 6 a.m. Nov. 22 the team will depart for its game against Texas on Nov. 23, said Eileen Roche, director of basketball operations.

After that game, the team will fly to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, for the Hardwood Tournament of Hope and successive games against Purdue, Florida Gulf Coast and South Dakota State from Nov. 26-28.

Then it’s back to campus and preparations for the end of the term before facing Gonzaga at home on Dec. 14.

In the meantime, Eileen is trying to gauge interest in a booster bus to the Cal game on Feb. 2. She has reserved a bus and wants fans to e-mail her at eroche@stanford.edu by the end of November. Otherwise, she’ll release it, she said.

It’s home sweet home for the Cardinal

Even though it might have looked that way on paper, the Stanford women’s basketball team’s 86-51 home victory over Cal Poly on Nov. 15 was more than just the Chiney Ogwumike show.

The senior forward scored a career-high 36 points in 30 minutes, plus 11 rebounds for her 61st career double-double. However, she had plenty of help along the way with 10 of the 12 available players adding to the total.

After returning to the bench for good with 6:28 to go in the second half, Chiney still wasn’t quite done. As redshirt sophomore guard Alex Green stood in front of the bench to inbound the ball, Chiney gave her some last-minute instructions.

Redshirt senior forward Mikaela Ruef was second in points scored with 9. However, her biggest contributions came from other stats, such as her career-high and team-high 14 rebounds. She was a regular rebounding machine. She added a team-high seven assists, most of them on nifty passes to Chiney. She also had one of the team’s five steals in her 27 minutes.

Head coach Tara VanDerveer reconfigured the starting lineup slightly, inserting freshman guard Lili Thompson in place of Alex, who had started the two previous games.

Otherwise, Tara stuck with the rest of her starters: Chiney, Mikaela, junior point guard Amber Orrange and freshman forward Kailee Johnson. Chiney, Mikaela and senior guard Sara James were the captains.

Junior forwards Taylor Greenfield and Erica Payne along with freshman guard Briana Roberson were on the bench in street clothes.

Also unavailable were the band, Tree, cheerleaders and Dollies. Perhaps they were at the soccer field to support the women’s soccer team, which had the same start time for its first round of the NCAA tournament. The Cardinal won the match 1-0.

The WBB game started slowly and sloppily with an unusual number of Cardinal turnovers, some of them caused by Cal Poly’s alert defense. The home team had 11 turnovers in the first half but only four in the second.

The visitors outscored their hosts for about the first five minutes of the game. During that time, Chiney did most of the Stanford scoring. For example, at the 10:30 mark, when Stanford trailed 13-11, she had 9 points.

After that, though, the Cardinal began showing more cohesion and amassed a 23-15 lead with 7:39 to go in the half. The lead was 41-25 at halftime. By then, all available players had seen action.

During the first half, the women’s swimming and diving team was introduced. The team won the 2013 Pac 12 championship and ranks No. 4 nationally. In return for the crowd’s recognition, the women tossed mini-balls into the stands.

It was victory balls flying into the stands at the end of the game as the WBB team celebrated success in its first home game of the season and upped its record to 2-1.

Excluding the slow start, it was an all-around win for the team as it outrebounded Cal Poly 47-36 and scored more points in the paint, 46-22.

Bench players added 22 points to the final score, led by freshman forward Erica McCall with 8 for third on the team. Freshman forward/guard Karlie Samuelson chipped in with 6 thanks to two 3-pointers.

Threes also came from Kailee, Lili and junior forward Bonnie Samuelson, all with one each, for a team total of five.

In her post-game comments to the press, Tara said she’s still shopping “for players who are going to step up and make plays.”

She probably hasn’t hit on the perfect combination yet, especially with Taylor and Erica P. still out. However, she does have a good selection, especially as the five freshmen mesh more completely and as the team develops its on-court chemistry.

There were signs of both in this game with some nicely executed plays and fast breaks that had the crowd cheering.